No Ordinary Walk Through the Woods

With the first
triathlon of the year still a few weeks out, I've been keeping myself occupied
by diving into the trail running scene.
Having dabbled in trail running a bit this off-season, I decided to get
involved as a volunteer at last weekend's Q50 Ultra USA event. The race took place on a 13-mile loop
through Bogue Chitto State Park and would consist of three events: a half
marathon, a full marathon, and an ultra marathon consisting of 4 laps around
the course for just over 53 miles.
While I'm no stranger to endurance events, having witnessed countless
folks competing in Ironman triathlons, this was the first time I've ever seen
someone run 50 miles. In a word,
it was amazing.

Part of my duties on race day included handling the
registration for the athletes. As
registration opened at 6:00 AM, the ultra runners made their way to my table to
pick up their assigned numbers.
And while I'm sure inside there were quite a few butterflies, on the
outside was nothing less than a picture of calm in spite of the epic adventure
that lay before them. There's was
definitely something in the air, something that hinted to the magnitude of what
was about to take place, however, there was something missing. Triathletes are well known for their
"type A" personalities, but these guys were anything but. They were quiet, yet easy-going. They were friendly but mostly kept to
themselves. They understood
the significance of the event but didn't take themselves too seriously. After a brief introduction and sincere
thank you from the race director, they headed outside. With a simple count down from 5, they
were off into the trails for the next 8 to 12 hours.

Soon afterwards the marathoners and half-marathoners begin
to file in. While this crowd was a
little more excited than the ultra group, there still seemed to be a sense of
serenity wafting over the race site.
Maybe it was the fresh air or perhaps the dirt under their feet but most
likely, it was the fact that when you set out to do a long-distance trail race
you are not just experiencing nature, you become a part of it along the
way.

Now this isn't to say these guys aren't competitive as I
quickly discovered at the conclusion of the half-marathon race. You see, in addition to taking care of
registration, my secondary duty involved timing the event. There I was chatting away when all of a
sudden I hear the crowd roar. I
looked up just in time to see the men's leader in an all-out sprint to the
finish line. My first thought was,
"why is this guy sprinting at the end of a half-marathon?" It didn't take long to find the answer
as the second place man was in hot pursuit finishing a mere four seconds later. On the women's side, the second and
third place finishers were separated by only one second. Whether winning or merely
finishing, each of these trail runners was smiling broadly, proud of their
accomplishment and elated to be a part of this unique sport.

While these athletes were wrapping up their races, the ultra
folks continued their trek through the trails. At the conclusion of each lap, they'd stop by my timing tent
to refuel, fill up their water bottles, perhaps change socks or reapply
sunscreen and anti-chaffing balms and then with a nod to their friends,
supporters and onlookers, head back out for another 13 mile journey. As the day grew longer, their
determination and grit took over.
While the body may have balked, their will and heart urged them to
continue. Some of them had great
days, like the men's winner who finished in 7 hours and 41 minutes at a pace of
8:40 per mile. Others continued to
run as the sun set and headlights were needed to navigate their last lap. When the final athlete crossed the
line, some 12 hours and 21 minutes after the start, it was the end of a long
but satisfying day.

Throughout the day I spoke with athletes, spectators and
volunteers and they all had a similar perception. Trail runners are a special brand of runner. They all seem to know one another,
definitely encourage one another, and when they don't happen to perform as well
as they'd hope, there's no making of excuses or blaming of the course and
conditions. Nope, they simply
shrug it off and try again next time.

Many sports talk about leaving "it all on the field" in the
sense that the athlete gives the game everything they have. This is true in trail running. But, not only do these runners leave a
little bit of themselves on the trail, the trail leaves a little bit of itself
on them.